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Pharmacare

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In 2016, Canadians spent $30 billion to fill more than 600 million prescriptions. That’s more than four times what we spent on prescriptions 20 years ago. Drug prices are skyrocketing for Canadians and more people have to choose between getting the medications they need and paying for their rent or for food.

A publicly funded, universal drug coverage program – also known as pharmacare – would provide all Canadians with access to the prescription medicines they need. People would be healthier and many would no longer have the economic burden of paying for medications out-of-pocket. Canadian employers would also benefit by not having to include expensive drug plans in employees’ benefit packages.

Right now, Canada is the only country with a public health care plan not to include prescription drug coverage. The Council of Canadians is trying to change that.

Use the tools, materials and information on this page to help convince your MP, employer, friends and family about why the federal government should implement a universal pharmacare program now.

Recent highlights

The Advisory Council on Implementation of National Pharmacare held their final consultation last night in Halifax, wrapping up several months of cross-country meetings to gather feedback on how Pharmacare should be implemented.

Council of Canadians chapter activists from Peterborough, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, Guelph and London joined with thousands of people for a rally at Queen’s Park in Toronto today in support of public health care.
Organized by the Ontario Health Coalition, the rally included people from across the province, representing health care workers, doctors and patients. The message was clear:...

The Council of Canadians has joined more than 70 national, provincial and territorial organizations representing health care providers, non-profit organizations, workers, seniors, patients and academics in consensus on principles for a national pharmacare program in Canada – and the number of organizations endorsing these principles is growing by the day.

Poll after poll has shown that Canadians consistently support the creation of a national pharmacare plan. In a recent Angus Reid poll, 91 per cent of Canadians say they want pharmacare so they don’t have to choose between buying groceries, or paying for prescription drugs.
The survey also found that prescription drug access and affordability are issues for almost one-quarter of Canadian...

The federal government has opened a “national dialogue” through online public consultations to get your thoughts on how a national pharmacare plan should be implemented.
Have your say! Join the consultation now.
Canada is the only country in the world with a national public health care system that does not include pharmacare.
Research shows that pharmacare can save us a lot of money. In 2016,...